


you come along on summer days

by annemari



Category: Teen Beach Movie (Movies)
Genre: College, F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 18:18:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5466233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annemari/pseuds/annemari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Christmas in New York," Lela says. "I expected snow."</p>
<p>Mack looks out the window as well. "Well," she says. "It's raining a bit, at least?"</p>
<p>Lela rolls her eyes and gives Mack a look. Mack grins.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you come along on summer days

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mtgat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mtgat/gifts).



> Happy yuletide, mtgat! I hope you like this!
> 
> Thank you to my bff for looking this over last minute! Title is from Interpol's "C'mere".

"I was expecting there to be snow," Lela says.

Mack looks up at her. "What?"

Lela sighs. She's looking out the window, her book forgotten on the desk.

"Christmas in New York," Lela says. "I expected _snow_."

Mack looks out the window as well. It's the warmest winter in New York in a decade, and there's no snow in sight.

"Well," Mack says. "It's raining a bit, at least?"

Lela rolls her eyes and gives Mack a look. That 'don't be silly' look. Mack grins.

They're sitting in their usual corner table in their usual Starbucks, studying for their exams. Speaking of which.

"Shouldn't you be revising, anyway?" Mack asks, gently kicking Lela's foot. "It's not Christmas yet."

"I'm done," Lela says. "I know it all."

"You're done with Calculus?" Mack asks.

Lela nods. "It was very interesting. I enjoyed the class a lot."

It's been more than a year since Lela chose to stay in the real world, and she still talks like that sometimes, like everything is a new experience for her to evaluate. Mack realized quickly it wasn't just the movie's influence, it was just what Lela was like. She's also ridiculously good at studying, easily able to remember anything. Mack doubts that has much to do with the movie, either.

Lela picks up the last of her iced latte and sips on it, her red lips pursed around the straw. Mack looks back at her Marine Biology book.

"Well, I'm still working on this, so," she says.

"Do you need help?" Lela asks. "We could do cue cards."

"No, it's fine," Mack says. "Just, you don't have to wait around for me if you're done."

Lela shrugs. "I don't want to be anywhere else."

Mack bites her lip. Lela just _says_ stuff like that, and Mack never knows how to respond. She's way too earnest.

"I'll just wait for it to start snowing," Lela says, and laughs.

"You'll be waiting for a long time," Mack says, smiling.

"I don't mind," Lela says.

Mack lets out a breath. "God, I need more coffee for this chapter."

"Oh, I'll go order for you," Lela says, and stands up. Mack watches her bound over to the counter, her skirt flowing behind her, her boots clicking on the floor, and sighs. She's so gone for her.

~

It's the first Christmas Mack has spent without her family. She chose to stay in New York herself; she was too busy and the flights home were too expensive anyway.

She doesn't feel too sad about it. She'll go back in the new year for a visit, and meanwhile she has Lela.

The day she found out she and Lela both got into the same college in New York was one of Mack's favorites. Possibly was only trumped by the day Lela chose to stay in the real world and the universe didn't collapse.

Mack's still not sure what kind of magic was involved in that, but she has chosen to stop questioning it. Lela is as much a part of this world now as anyone, and Mack can't imagine it without her anymore. There are some things missing, like parents or any sort of relatives at all, but at least the universe decided to magically give her a birth certificate and a school record. Small wins.

Mack asked, once, if Lela felt lost here, since she didn't have any ties to anyone.

Lela looked at her for a long time, and then she shook her head and simply said, "No. I don't."

Mack decided to believe her.

Lela has a ton of friends now, but it's Mack she lives with, and Mack she spends most of her free time with. Mack feels weirdly guilty about it sometimes, like she's monopolizing Lela's time and making it harder for her to experience all that the real world has to offer her. She wonders, sometimes, if Lela really doesn't feel like she's missing out on anything.

For one, it feels like most of their friends are coupled up, but Mack hasn't dated anyone since she and Brady broke it off before the end of high school, and Lela hasn't dated anyone in this world at all.

Mack asks her about it one evening when they're leaving Starbucks. It's been spinning around in her head for too long, and she needs to get it out.

"Do you think you're happy here?" she blurts out. "Like, do you feel stuck sometimes?"

Lela looks at her like she's gone mad. "No?" she asks. "Not at all. Why?"

"Just wondering," Mack says, fiddling with her half-full coffee cup. "Like, don't you want to experience something more?"

"Like what?" Lela asks. "I'm in college, Mack. I'm in New York. I'm studying something I really love. What else would I want?"

"I don't know," Mack hedges. "Like, maybe, to date someone?"

Lela looks at her, brow furrowed. "No," she says slowly. "I don't."

"Oh," Mack says. "Well, okay."

"You look disappointed," Lela says.

"I'm not," Mack says. "I'm not. Disappointed is—no, I'm not disappointed."

"Okay," Lela says. "Did you want to, like, set me up with someone?"

"No," Mack says. "No, no, not at all. I'm just. I worry sometimes that you like—that because I'm your first friend here you sort of feel like you're stuck with me."

"You're my _best_ friend," Lela says. "I care about you, and you're important to me, and—yeah. I don't want to date anyone, and I don't have time for it anyway. I'm really happy right here, Mack."

"Good," Mack says, relieved. "Good. That's really good. I'm glad. I just worried."

"You worry too much," Lela says, and boops Mack's nose. 

Mack laughs, surprised. 

Lela smiles, and grabs her hand. "Now come on, we'll be late for choir."

Mack lets Lela pull her along, feeling warm and happy.

~

"I'm sick of rain," Lela says, and flops dramatically onto her bed. "Do you think if I wish hard enough it'll turn into snow?"

"Usually I'd say no," Mack says. "But I never know with you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lela asks, turning over onto her stomach. "Are you still studying?"

"Yes," Mack says, clicking away on her laptop. "No, I'm on Youtube. I _was_ studying. I'm going to study."

"Uh huh," Lela says. "What did you mean, you never know with me?"

"Well," Mack says, and looks up at her. "Sometimes I think you're a bit magic."

Lela tilts her head at her. "Am I?"

Mack shrugs. "Well, I mean, not like back when you were still a part of the movie, but. I don't know. Maybe."

"Why?" Lela asks.

Mack shrugs again and looks down at her laptop. "I don't know," she says. "Sometimes I just feel it. You don't think so?"

"I don't know," Lela says. "Not really?"

Mack shrugs, not looking up. She doesn't have any concrete examples or anything. Nothing she can analyze. Just, sometimes when Lela is around it seems like only good things happen. The birds sing and the sun shines a bit brighter and oh, Christ, she's an idiot. She knew it before, but she's an absolute idiot.

"Never mind," she says quickly, and gives Lela a bright smile. "I guess I'm just making it up. But you can try. To wish for it, I mean. It can't hurt."

Lela's looking at her carefully, her face soft. "Okay," she says. "I'll try. I'll make it snow for you."

Mack bites the inside of her lip. "I'll look forward to it."

~

Lela kicks ass at all of her exams. Mack does pretty damn well too, she thinks, enough to be pleased with herself. They have a little celebration in their dorm room after Mack's last one. Lela has baked cupcakes, and there's hot chocolate and warm blankets and Star Wars on Mack's laptop. They're doing a marathon of all the movies since Lela's never seen them. It's kind of perfect.

"Are we doing presents on Christmas Day?" Lela asks, snuggled into Mack's side on the couch.

"Of course," Mack says.

"But I have something I want to give to you now," Lela says.

Mack wrinkles her nose. "Well. I don't say no to presents."

Lela giggles. "Wait here, I'll get it."

She climbs off the bed and goes to her closet. Mack watches her with interest. She has several little gifts that she's picked up for Lela along the way, and a lovely purse that she thinks Lela will love. She's got them all wrapped already, too, because she's nothing if not prepared.

She's curious about what Lela could've gotten her that she'd want to give Mack now, though.

"Ah," Lela says happily, and bounces back to the bed, throwing herself on it and landing half on top of Mack. "Here, here, open it."

She's holding out a jewelry box. Mack takes it from her, their fingers brushing. Lela's sitting so close, her eyes wide with excitement.

Mack snaps the box open, and gasps. "My necklace."

It's the necklace Lela gave to her when they first met, in the movie. It looks exactly like Mack remembers it.

"Do you like it?" Lela asks.

"I thought you threw it away," Mack says. "I thought it was gone, how did you get it?"

Lela shrugs. "It came back to me. I've had it for a while, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just waiting for the right time."

"Now's the right time?" Mack asks.

Lela nods. "I think so. Yeah, it feels like the right time. Do you want me to put it on you?"

"Please," Mack says, and twists around on the bed. She lifts her hair up, and Lela slips the necklace on her. Her fingers brush against Mack's neck, and Mack shivers.

"There," Lela says. Her voice sounds a bit weird.

"Thank you," Mack says, turning to look at Lela again. "Lela, thank you so much. I love it."

Lela shrugs. "I mean, I just gave it back to you, it's not like it's something new, and like, I don't even know if it means that much to you—"

Mack puts her hand on Lela's knee to stop her rambling. "I love it," she says. "It does mean a lot to me."

Lela smiles. "Good. I'm glad." There's something odd about her expression.

"Is everything okay?" Mack asks.

"Yeah," Lela says quickly, and tucks her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, just. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Mack asks. "You can tell me, you know."

"I know," Lela says, nodding. "I feel like I can tell you anything."

"So," Mack says, and smiles encouragingly. She takes Lela's hand and squeezes it. "What is it?"

Lela takes a deep breath. "I really like you, Mack."

Mack pauses. "Like—"

"Like I want to hold your hand, and spend all my time with you, and—and kiss you."

Mack feels her eyes go wide. "Oh," she says.

"Yeah," Lela says, with a soft laugh.

"Oh," Mack says again. Her belly's doing somersaults. "That's—oh, wow."

"Is that a good wow?" Lela asks, biting her lip.

Mack nods quickly. "Uh-huh. That's definitely—yeah, that's—I mean, yeah, it's definitely that one."

Lela laughs. "Really?"

"Lela," Mack breathes out. "I've liked you for, god, so long now."

"Really?" Lela asks. Her smile is blinding.

"Yeah," Mack says. Her fingertips are suddenly tingling. She can't believe it.

"I've liked you since I met you," Lela says. "I think. I missed you so much when you went away."

"Lela," Mack says softly. "Gosh."

"Can I kiss you?" Lela asks, her eyes alight and a blush high on her cheeks.

Mack nods, breathless. Lela leans in and kisses her. Her lips are soft, and she tastes sweet. Mack's eyes flutter closed. Her heart's beating so fast, her stomach flooding with warmth.

Lela pulls away. "Gosh," she says.

"Wow," Mack says. Lela laughs, and kisses her again.

~

"You know," Mack says later, after they've kissed a bit, eaten more cupcakes, kissed some more, done the dishes, and kissed again. They're curled up on Mack's bed again, watching The Phineas and Ferb Star Wars special. They felt like it was time for something light-hearted after the prequels.

"Know what?" Lela asks.

"I'm really glad I ended up in that movie," Mack says. "Even if it's still the weirdest, most bizarre, most nonsensical thing to ever happen to me."

Lela laughs. "It's magic," she says. "I guess. It feels like magic, doesn't it?"

Mack nods. "Definitely magic. Or something like that."

"I'm really glad you ended up in the movie, too," Lela says. "Otherwise, I never would've gotten any of this."

Mack squeezes Lela closer. She doesn't like to think about any of that. "You still would've had a nice life, though."

"I don't know," Lela says, shrugs. "It feels like I didn't properly live before I came here, you know?"

"Well," Mack says. "I guess you technically didn't, yeah."

Lela snorts and rolls her eyes. "Thanks."

"Sorry," Mack says, wincing. "I didn't mean it like that."

"No, I get it," Lela says. "I was literally just going through the motions, you know? I was stuck in the past, and I was stuck in a _movie_. All my lines were written for me. But then I met you and I realized I had a choice."

Mack squeezes her hand, feeling a bit choked up.

"I'm not saying that because I, like, feel like I owe you something or anything," Lela says. "I'm just really happy that this is how it happened. That this is what the universe gave me, you know?"

"Me too," Mack says, nodding. "I'm really happy."

Lela laughs and kisses her cheek. "Okay, hush now, I want to see this part."

Mack pulls the fuzzy blankets over them both, leans her head on Lela's shoulder, and settles in to watch the show.

~

It's raining when they wake up on Christmas Day.

Mack rolls over Lela—they both just about fit in one tiny dorm bed—and grabs her phone. Lela makes a protesting noise, and tickles Mack's side.

"Stop it," Mack says, giggling, and settles back into Lela's side. It's maybe silly that they try to cram into the one bed, but it's so nice waking up with Lela next to her, warm and comfortable. Even if she does sometimes end up with Lela's hair in her mouth and a cramp in her leg.

"Is it time to get up?" Lela asks. She sounds half asleep, still.

"If you want to," Mack says, and sends a couple of Merry Christmas texts to her friends. She's going to call her grandpa and aunt later.

Lela hums. "Well," she says. "There _are_ presents."

Mack looks over at the miniature tree they set up in the corner of their room, and the row of tiny presents under it.

"True," she says.

"But," Lela says, and wraps her arms around Mack's waist, pressing her nose against Mack's collarbone. "I'm so warm here."

"We can do presents later," Mack says. "Definitely later."

Lela laughs. "You're so cute."

Mack rolls herself on top of Lela again and kisses her. They both probably have morning breath, and Mack's eyes are still crusty, and Lela's hair is all over the place, but Mack doesn't care. She likes Lela so much.

"I like you so much," she whispers.

"I know," Lela says, smiling.

Mack laughs. They finally finished marathoning _Star Wars_ last night.

She looks past Lela and out the window, where it's pouring down rain.

"I don't think we're getting snow this Christmas," she says.

"Oh well," Lela says, and kisses Mack's nose. "Maybe next year."

Mack smiles. "Next year."


End file.
